The 6-To-1 Grocery Purchasing Methodology That’ll Save You Time and Cash

If you’re a busy dad or mum attempting to feed a household with totally different tastes, grocery procuring can rapidly flip right into a chaotic—and costly—chore. Between inflation, meals waste, and the limitless “What’s for dinner?” dilemma, many people are hungry for options that assist us do extra with much less. Enter Chef Will Coleman’s 6-to-1 Grocery Purchasing Methodology: a sensible, versatile technique that makes planning, procuring, and cooking less complicated and extra sustainable.

What’s the 6-to-1 Grocery Purchasing Methodology?

Designed to assist buyers give attention to substances that can be utilized throughout a number of meals, Coleman’s technique is simple: store for six greens, 5 fruits, 4 proteins, three starches, two sauces, and one enjoyable merchandise. The end result? A cart stuffed with cost-effective, versatile substances that may stretch into every week’s value of meals with out waste or overwhelm.

Earlier than coming throughout the 6-to-1 Methodology on social media, I assumed I had a good grocery procuring technique. I’ve all the time been aware about meals waste, so every week, I’d plan meals round substances I already had and solely store for what I used to be lacking. Appears easy and environment friendly sufficient proper? Whereas that technique does work, I discovered myself in a continuing loop of attempting to not waste leftover groceries from the earlier week, and I wasn’t all the time prioritizing produce and more healthy complete meals. Plus, procuring that manner simply wasn’t thrilling.

“I created the 6-to-1 Methodology out of a necessity for extra intentional grocery procuring,” Coleman advised me. “I wished a system that made it simpler to plan balanced meals, cut back my reliance on processed meals, and lower down each time and spending on the retailer.”

I lately put Coleman’s technique to the take a look at, and the outcomes have been spectacular. I loved the power to be inventive and plan how I’d use recent substances in numerous methods for a number of meals inside the similar week in order that I may begin recent the subsequent. I shopped with intention, stayed beneath finances, and had what I wanted to make 9 full meals (three breakfasts, three lunches, and three dinners) for my household of 4.

what I purchased:

Greens: Butter lettuce, celery, Caesar salad combine, onions, recent herbs, cucumbers*

Fruits: Apples, citrus fruits (orange, lemon, lime), strawberries, grapes, tomatoes

Proteins: Floor beef, salmon, hen, eggs

Starches: Spaghetti, brioche buns, flour tortillas

Sauces: Mayonnaise, avocado cilantro sauce

Enjoyable merchandise: Chocolate chip cookies

*Though cucumbers are technically a fruit, I categorized them as a vegetable right here since I solely used them in salads and inexperienced juice. Once more, one of many nice issues in regards to the 6-to-1 Methodology is it’s customizable!

what I made:

Breakfasts: Breakfast burritos, inexperienced juice, fruit salad

Lunches: Salmon Caesar salad, floor beef burritos (with pantry rice and beans), jerk salmon burgers with lemon-garlic-herb aioli

Dinners: Curry hen (with pantry rice), spaghetti and meatballs (with store-bought sauce), candy and bitter hen with do-it-yourself fried rice

Snacks: Fruit, chocolate chip cookies

Value Breakdown for the week

Whole spent: $117.90

Meals made: 9 (with 4 servings every)

Value per serving: $3.28

Why this technique works

As a working mother, I can’t all the time put together three meals a day, on daily basis. However even with my hectic schedule, this technique helped us eat most of our meals at dwelling reasonably than resorting to quick meals, takeout, or spending lots of on a single dinner out. Past the associated fee financial savings, I additionally appreciated the way it inspired us to eat more healthy—with recent substances and balanced meals I felt good about serving.

“Prioritizing complete substances not solely helps higher consuming habits, however it additionally helps to keep away from overspending on pointless or overly processed meals objects,” Coleman defined.

Along with value financial savings and more healthy meals selections, the fantastic thing about the 6-to-1 Methodology is in its customizability. It really works whether or not you’re looking for choosy eaters, attempting to wash out your pantry, or simply eager to keep away from the temptation of impulse buys. Plus, you don’t must be knowledgeable chef to make it work—only a dwelling prepare dinner trying to simplify the weekly meals routine.

And should you’re concerned with studying extra, Coleman lately expanded on this idea in his debut cookbook, From Cart to Kitchen, which dropped on June ninth. The ebook options 60 recipes and ten grocery lists that comply with the 6-to-1 Methodology, making it simple for anybody to start out procuring smarter and prepare dinner with confidence. It’s obtainable for pre-order now, and after attempting the tactic myself, I can confidently say it’s value each penny.